From the Director of Alumni Relations

Two More “T”s

Antiochians & Friends:

As the Director of Alumni Relations, I have constantly heard the idiom “Time, Talent, and Treasure”, or, “The Three Ts”, to describe the ways in which an individual can support their alma mater. In my time at Antioch, I have witnessed the multiple forms of how Antiochians utilize these T words, from the generosity of an alumnus sharing their treasure, donating their time to help organize alumni chapter events, and utilizing their talents during a volunteer work project. There are so many examples in each category, and even more possibilities to help out! However, I wanted to discuss two important categories that frequently get left out that are just as important:

Ties. The fourth T involves your networks. We all have rich lives that do not exist solely within Antiochian circles. Sometimes these non-Antiochians (or perhaps we should say, folks who don’t know they’re Antiochians yet) can offer assistance to our community in ways we have not yet thought of. I can offer this anecdote as an illustration of this concept:

In a previous alumni relations position, one of my yearly tasks was to work on a networking dinner for our alumni volunteers and our graduating senior class. Ahead of the dinner, we would publish lists of the alumni attending: where they lived, what they did for a living, their undergraduate major. Invariably, there were always students who felt they shouldn’t go to the event because “none of the alumni are in the career field that I want to be in.” This is where Ties comes in: I had to remind them that networking is almost never about meeting the person who will offer you a job, it is more often about befriending others who know that person.

In this way, we can think about fulfilling the needs of Antioch: you may not have the resources to fund new scholarships or personally have college-age children to send to Yellow Springs, but surely you know of individuals whose values align with our mission and vision who may have those sorts of resources.

Testimony. The fifth T represents how you speak about Antioch College and how you spread the message of this place to the world. Imagine your network contains someone who could contribute something truly transformational to Antioch — how would you speak to them about the college? How does your remembrances of your undergraduate experience affect the way the outer world perceives Antioch College?

I want to reflect on one of the biggest ways that your testimony can change Antioch. It is a challenge of almost every higher education institution that I have interacted with to find a way to integrate alumni volunteers into a successful admissions program. Admissions is an incredibly tricky business filled with interpersonal and political idiosyncrasies which can be tough to see from the outside looking in. I am frequently asked how alumni can support Admissions, from staffing college fairs to signing up high schoolers they know of for email from Antioch. However, when I ask alumni what brought them to Antioch, I almost never hear that they found this place through a mailer or at a college fair. More often than not, the answer is that an influential person in their lives was an Antiochian and the way they spoke about Antioch drew them here. That is the power of your testimony in a nutshell.

I want to wrap this note up with a quick sampling of some ways you can utilize the Five Ts to help Antioch. There are new opportunities popping up daily, though, so keep your eye out for emails!

Time: We are always seeking volunteers to help us make calls or write emails to thank our donors and reconnect our lost classmates!

Talent: Our volunteer work project is always looking for eager volunteers to help keep our

campus beautiful and functional for our students. Do you have a talent that could contribute to the effort?

Treasure: Million Dollar March Match is rapidly approaching. This is a time to really double your giving impact!

Ties: We are seeking connections to granting organizations and other foundations that could support our mission. Do you have people in your network who can help? Please let us know!

Testimony: We are launching a new alumni admissions program in March to help you spread your testimony about this place to new potential Antiochians! We will launch first to the chapters, so, if you haven’t connected with your local chapter recently, the time has never been better.

Thank you all for all you do for Antioch!

Tristan Neviska Director of Alumni & External Relations